TEN PER CENT CUT

Southland Times, Issue 21073, 3 May 1930, Page 7

TEN PER CENT CUT

PUBLIC SERVANTS’ SALARIES. NEW SOUTH WALES SCHEME. (United Press Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) Sydney, May 2. The main proposals submitted to the State Parliament by Cabinet are a tax of 3d in the £1 on all wages and incomes, without exemptions, to provide an unemployment fund of £3,000,000 annually, a reduction in public servants’ salaries from 6 to 74 per cent., two weeks off annually without pay and Saturday, morning work, equivalent in all to a 10 per cent, reduction, or as an alternative retrenchments in the service and an amendment of the Industrial Arbitration Act to empower the industrial commission to extend the working hours to 48 without additional pay or to retain the 44-hour week with a reduction in salary equivalent to four hours. If the public service scheme is not accepted by Parliament, 3000 employees will be dismissed with more to follow. Although the officials of the Australian Railways Union rejected the proposal of Mr Cleary, Chief Railway Commissioner, for rationing work, a ballot of the union members resulted in favour of the scheme by an overwhelming majority.